Laure de Fumel, the niece of Joseph, succeeded in buying the estate from the 'citizen' Miqueau who had let it run down completely; even the orange garden had been left to freeze ! She was the last descendant of the Lestonnac, Pontac and Aulède families, all of whom were related and who had carefully watched over Margaux for three centuries.

The years of revolution got the better of her courage and passion for her lands, which she put up for auction in 1801. The purchaser was, Bertrand Douat, a Basque, who had come from Spain with a considerable fortune and the title of Marquis de la Colonilla. He was, among other things, a shipowner and an agent for the Spanish government to negotiate a barter agreement with Russia ! His ideas of American-style democracy got him into prison for several months ! He was over fifty years old when he arrived in France and lived in Paris rather than Bordeaux. In reality, he was not very interested in wine, and Château Margaux was for him a means of climbing higher up the social ladder.

The gothic manor which had replaced the old castle on the estate did not seem worthy to him of the reputation of his vineyard. La Colonilla built in its place the residence that we admire today. Building work started in 1810, when La Colonilla was already 70 years old; he died in 1836 without ever having lived in his château. Bertrand Douat, the Marquis de la Colonilla, was not the only owner of Château Margaux who, just as much a stranger to Bordeaux as to vines, left such a great mark.