The Two Branches of the Mondavi Family - An Opportunity to Collaborate?

During Peter Mondavi Jr's talk, I was struck by how separate the two branches of the Mondavi family are on the business side despite being on good terms on the interpersonal side. One theme that we have discussed over and over during the class is the power of a good story. Whether it's the authenticity and typicity claims of Inniskillin ice wines or the longstanding winemaking history of the Rothschild family in Bordeaux, having an interesting story around your product sounds like an incredible advantage in an industry where so many different products compete for the customer's attention.

For that reason, I'm surprised that the Mondavis have not chosen to exploit the story of the schism that led Robert Mondavi to split from the Charles Krug brand. While both wineries where operated by the family, I think more sustained collaboration between the two branches could have created an extremely compelling narrative for consumers, where a limited edition product branded with the proverbial return of the prodigal son after a terrible fight could have stimulated the consumer's imagination and commanded a very high price. I think that such a unique product that blends the expertise of both branches of the "Royal family" of Napa Valley would have had a very compelling value proposition and likely would market itself amongst California wine enthusiasts. Unfortunately, with the Robert Mondavi winery no longer being controlled by the family, I think this story may have a more limited appeal at this point.

For that reason, I'm curious to hear why people think collaborations of the sort have been so limited in the past. Do you think it's a capex problem? Maybe their winemaking styles are so different that the resulting product would have failed to achieve the level of quality that the consumer expects from their products? However, given the fact that both branches have wines that span both premium and non-premium markets, I somehow do not find this argument very convincing.